Conor Brady, who died in Las Vegas, laid to rest at home in Sligo

There were hundreds of mourners at the funeral Mass on Monday morning for Conor Brady, the 24-year-old Sligo native who died two weekends ago after a fall at a Las Vegas hotel. Brady was based in Washington, D.C. and was working for the Irish Dairy Board.

Brady’s body was found in the loading dock of the Hard Rock Hotel at 7:35 a.m. on Saturday, November 2. He had been in Las Vegas with a group of Irish friends for a long weekend. Foul play is not suspected in his death.

The family of another Irishman who died in tragic circumstances in New York during the summer, Kevin Bell, used funds from a memorial in their son’s name to transport Brady’s body back to Sligo for burial.

Bell, 26, was killed in the Woodlawn section of the Bronx in a hit and run, and his parents established a fund in his name to help other bereaved families in similar situations.

Speaking about his family’s fund, the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust, Kevin’s father Collie told the Irish Independent, “The average cost of repatriating a body is about €5,000 ($8,000), but the further away the location, the more expensive it is.

“As we said at the time, with so many young people now abroad, Kevin’s death would not be the last.

“Sadly, this has proved to be the case. We’d like the message to get out that the trust is here to help families in all 32 counties.”

Bell, a native of Skreen, Co. Sligo, was a member of the St. Patrick’s GAA club, and also played rugby both in New York and Sligo. He is survived by his parents Peter and Maureen, and a younger brother and sister.